General News

Statement of the International Association of Professional Numismatists Regarding Criminal Complaint Brought by the Manhattan District Attorney Against Richard Beale, the Proprietor of Roma Numismatics.

The page is accessible to members only.

We are pleased to invite you to the 2022 IAPN Congress and Post Congress activities. 

The Congress will take place from Thursday May 26 to Sunday 29 May at the H10 Punta Negra hotel in Mallorca, Spain.

The Post Congress will take place from Monday 30 May to Wednesday 1 June at the Sofia Alcudia Beach Hotel

TO MAKE A RESERVATION PLEASE VISIT IAPNMALLORCA2022.com

NOTE: This Congress is for IAPN Members only. For any questions please contact

Jesús Vico: +34 647 543 283
[email protected]

NOTES

• The deadline to book the H10 Punta Negra hotel is the 26th of April 2022.  The organising committee cannot guarantee bookings after this date.
• The deadline to book the Post Congress is the 3rd of April 2022. The organising committee cannot guarantee bookings after this date.  
• If you need help registering, please do not hesitate to contact us. 
• Payment can be made by bank transfer to the IAPN account.
• All activities are casual. No formal wear is required for any event except the Gala Dinner (black tie code)
• Temperatures in May-June average a high of 25ºC and a low of 16ºC

IAPN ONLINE CONGRESS 2021 SUMMARY

Usually, the International Association of Professional Numismatists organizes its General Assembly every year in a different country in the world, but last year because of the pandemic we resolved to cancel the General Assembly scheduled for Marseille in 2020. As the year 2021 has echoed the year 2020, with the pandemic still present, the Executive Committee had to organize a virtual General Assembly for the first time in the history of the association. It took place on September 11th and 12th, 2021.

The first highlight of this IAPN G.A. was the vote for new candidates to become members of our association. This year is quite exceptional because we now have 10 new members, who are as follows:

• AMOS Media (Mr. Rick AMOS) Associated Member.
• CNG LLC (Mr. Mike GASVODA) Regular Member.
• Mariano COHEN (Mr. Mariano COHEN) Regular Member.
• HERITAGE Auctions (Mr. Cristiano BIERRENBACH) Regular Member.
• KÖLNER MÜNZKABINETT (Mr. Christoph HEINEN) Regular Member.
• LUGDUNUM GmbH (Mr. Jonas FLÜCK) Regular Member.
• MDC – Monnaies de Collection (Mr. Nicolas GIMBERT) Regular Member.
• MORUZZI Numismatica (Mr. Umberto MORUZZI) Regular Member.
• Shanna SCHMIDT Numismatics Inc. (Mrs. Shanna SCHMIDT) Regular Member.
• VILMAR Numismatics LLC (Dr. Constantin MARINESCU) Regular Member.

Welcome to all of them!

Other decisions were made regarding membership : Mark TELLER will become a corresponding member as of January 1st, 2022, and Eric McFADDEN was appointed Honorary President of the association for his years of service as President of the IAPN and the IBSCC (the association’s anti-counterfeiting committee).

Another highlight of our general assembly was undoubtedly the IAPN Book Prize for 2020 (the vote for 2021 was postponed till next year). This prize rewards a numismatic work published the previous year, in this case 2019. That year was abundant in worthy candidates, and it was among more than 16 books that the book by Mr. Robert DELZANNO won 1st place.

Regarding international trade, our president Daniel SEDWICK gave us a report about several new developments in the U.S., namely the application of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) measures to antiquities dealers; activities of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) and new Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs); and efforts to enforce the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (CAFRA) of 2000. In Europe, we responded to the EU’s “have your say” forum for implementation of AML measures.
Other topics were debated regarding the life of our association.

The next assembly of our association in 2022 will take place in MALLORCA in Spain, organized by our Spanish members Jesus VICO SA and AUREO & CALICO S.L. at the end of May. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bviEAryMdc&ab_channel=IAPNDigital

Proposals for the following years’ General Assemblies include Marseille in France for 2023, organized by Maison PLATT, and San Francisco in the U.S. for 2024, organized by STEPHEN ALBUM Rare Coins.

Press release by Anne-Claire BARRE – Maison PLATT Paris – IAPN Public Relations. Edition and publication Augi Garcia, Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC.

LINK TO FRENCH VERSION

Eldert Bontekoe
March 21, 1954 – March 30, 2020
Obituary for Eldert August Bontekoe II
Eldert August Bontekoe II (03/21/1954 – 03/30/2020)

Eldert was a published author, speaker, and a professional numismatist for over 40 years. He was a collector of history for as long as anyone can remember. He achieved the level of Eagle Scout in 1970. The same year he began his professional numismatic career, working part time for a local coin shop. In 1972, he graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School and he started his own business selling US, ancient and medieval coins. He graduated the University of Michigan in 1976 with a Baccalaureate degree in Mechanical Engineering. He immediately went on to become a program manager in Automobile Emissions and Fuel Economy for the EPA. He worked his way up to eventually retire from the EPA as the President of the Emission Compliance Consultants. While working for the EPA, he began building the company, many of us know him for, Pegasi Numismatics, which was launched in 1982. He partnered with Nick Economopolous in 1994 to establish the Pegasi Numismatics that is known around the world and still successfully running to this day.

Pegasi Numismatics was elected member of the I.A.P.N. in 2003 by the General Assembly of Munich. Since then, Eldert had played an active role in the Association by attending most of the annual General Assemblies, including the last one in Carefree. He was a fine member, quiet and clever.

Eldert had many interests other than coin collecting. He had a profound love of Poker. He enjoyed taking trips to Vegas and other casinos around Michigan where he could be found at the poker table! He loved playing the game, but anyone who has had the pleasure of talking with him would know that he always joked about having bad luck! He travelled to many places around the world often seeking a concert, play or museum along the way.

Eldert enjoyed spending time with his family. He loved gathering for Holidays and spending the day at the family cottage. He is survived by a brother Paul Bontekoe (Susan Bontekoe) and sister Leslie Michalzuk (Ken Michalzuk). He was very proud of his nephews/niece and great nephews/niece as well: Jaime Bontekoe (;Lily Bontekoe, Isaac August Bontekoe), Jessica Dinda (David Dinda), Kenneth Michalzuk (Lauren Donovan) and Kevin Michalzuk (Amanda Michalzuk; Henry Michalzuk).

https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/12609531/Eldert-Bontekoe

Eldert Bontekoe – March 21, 1954 – March 30, 2020

Eldert Bontekoe
March 21, 1954 – March 30, 2020
Obituary for Eldert August Bontekoe II
Eldert August Bontekoe II (03/21/1954 – 03/30/2020)

Eldert was a published author, speaker, and a professional numismatist for over 40 years. He was a collector of history for as long as anyone can remember. He achieved the level of Eagle Scout in 1970. The same year he began his professional numismatic career, working part time for a local coin shop. In 1972, he graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School and he started his own business selling US, ancient and medieval coins. He graduated the University of Michigan in 1976 with a Baccalaureate degree in Mechanical Engineering. He immediately went on to become a program manager in Automobile Emissions and Fuel Economy for the EPA. He worked his way up to eventually retire from the EPA as the President of the Emission Compliance Consultants. While working for the EPA, he began building the company, many of us know him for, Pegasi Numismatics, which was launched in 1982. He partnered with Nick Economopolous in 1994 to establish the Pegasi Numismatics that is known around the world and still successfully running to this day.

Pegasi Numismatics was elected member of the I.A.P.N. in 2003 by the General Assembly of Munich. Since then, Eldert had played an active role in the Association by attending most of the annual General Assemblies, including the last one in Carefree. He was a fine member, quiet and clever.

Eldert had many interests other than coin collecting. He had a profound love of Poker. He enjoyed taking trips to Vegas and other casinos around Michigan where he could be found at the poker table! He loved playing the game, but anyone who has had the pleasure of talking with him would know that he always joked about having bad luck! He travelled to many places around the world often seeking a concert, play or museum along the way.

Eldert enjoyed spending time with his family. He loved gathering for Holidays and spending the day at the family cottage. He is survived by a brother Paul Bontekoe (Susan Bontekoe) and sister Leslie Michalzuk (Ken Michalzuk). He was very proud of his nephews/niece and great nephews/niece as well: Jaime Bontekoe (;Lily Bontekoe, Isaac August Bontekoe), Jessica Dinda (David Dinda), Kenneth Michalzuk (Lauren Donovan) and Kevin Michalzuk (Amanda Michalzuk; Henry Michalzuk).

https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/12609531/Eldert-Bontekoe

Dear Members, / Chers Membres,   In the view of the recent events and of the decisions taken overall in the world, it appears that it would be too uncertain to try and maintain our Marseille gathering of the end of May. Au vu des événements récents, et des décisions prises partout dans le monde, il semble trop hasardeux d’essayer de maintenir notre réunion de Marseille de la fin du mois de mai.  Therefore, in full agreement with the organisers, we have decided to cancel the General Assembly of Marseille of the end of May 2020.C’est pourquoi, en accord avec les organisateurs, nous avons décidé que l’Assemblée Générale de Marseille de la fin mai 2020 est annulée.   We will think about what must and will be done in the full respect of our rules and in the best interest of all, and will let you know as soon as possible. Nous allons réfléchir à ce qui peut et doit être fait dans le plein respect de nos règles et au mieux des intérêts de chacun, et vous en informerons dès que possible.  I wish you all to go through those though times as well as possible, and remain,Yours sincerely. Je vous souhaite de traverser ces temps difficiles le mieux possible, et vous adresse mes salutations les meilleures. 

UPDATE: The General Assembly of the IAPN 2020 in the city of Marseille,
from Thursday May 28th to Sunday May 31st, 2020 has been Canceled.

REGISTRATION FORMS:

For more information please contact the official organizers at:

MAISON PLATT
49, rue de Richelieu 75001 PARIS 
Tél. : 01 42 96 50 48 
[email protected]

December 6, 2018 – As soon as you set foot into the great hall of the New York International at the Waldorf-Astoria, you saw their familiar faces. Richard Margolis’s table was always by the windows cater-cornered to the entrance. His display cases always contained an impressive array of rare medals. I never saw Richard being on his own at his table. His wife Sara accompanied him to every coin convention. It was a great pleasure talking to them, especially because they were so very friendly. Any conversation I had with them enriched every visit of the New York International. And I never left their table without having learned something new.
Now, Richard Margolis is gone. He passed away after a long illness on November 24, 2018.

Richard Margolis was born in Manhattan on April 21, 1931. His father Benjamin was a dressmaker. His mother Norma, née Germain, was the daughter of a successful real estate developer working in the growing New York City at the beginning of the past century. Max Germain’s great coup was that he purchased properties at Route 4 before the George Washington Bridge was opened. He did not sell the real estate, but instead he let the properties – which is a company policy that his descendants have stuck with. Richard Margolis, too, was supposed to make a living as a real estate broker. After he had finished his studies at Tulane and New York University, he began working as the director of his grandfather’s company. He probably was not too happy about that.

After all, he had caught the bacillus numismaticus at the age of 12. Ever since his university days, he loved French coins and developed a great interest in the medal art of the 19th century. Hence, in 1958, he let realty be realty, and founded his own coin dealership. There was no getting around Richard Margolis if you collected French coins in the United States. For many years, he was the president of the Société Américaine de l’Étude Numismatique Française. In 1973, he published the standard reference work “The Silver Crowns of France 1641-1973”, which remains in wide use in the United States. 
But he was also a competent person to contact for anyone who loves medals. The magnitude of his knowledge was manifested in an incredible work he published at Kolbe & Fanning in 2015. For decades, Richard Margolis had worked on a marginal field of numismatics: the terra cotta portraits of Benjamin Franklin, which Jean-Baptiste Nini made on behalf of Jacques-Donatien Le Ray. This owner of a pottery factory spread the portrait of Franklin in order to promote the goals of the United States, which was fighting the War of Independence at the time.
In this book, Richard Margolis illustrated what it was that he loved so much about numismatics: the countless possibilities of connecting history to concrete objects. Only a few people have mastered the art of observation as he had done. If he showed you a medal you ended up seeing things you had never noticed – and which you probably would not have noticed without his hints.

His decisive importance for the world of numismatics probably originates from a different decision, however. In cooperation with Fritz Weber and Bill Selfridge, he decided to establish a coin fair in New York, which was to be dedicated to ancient and foreign coins only. The fact that they forwent U.S. coins and medals was unprecedented in the United States at the time! The first New York International Numismatic Convention took place in 1972. It was a great success. Richard Margolis and his wife Sara were responsible for its organization for many years. They turned the fair into a haunt of international coin dealers and their U.S.-American colleagues. The fifth convention in 1976 – until 9/11 the fair was held at the beginning of the holiday season – already attracted 85 dealers from ten different countries. Nowadays, you cannot imagine a numismatic calendar without New York International.

Dear Colleagues,

I have just been informed that our former member Rüdiger KAISER, from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, passed away on Saturday, December 8th, at his home. You will find attached the official announcement. Rüdiger had been a member of the IAPN since 1991, and had resigned in  for health reasons. While he was active, he had been a familiar figure at most German shows and of our congresses. He is survived by his wife Gudrun, his son and our colleague Andreas and his 3 grandchildren. We wish them all strength and courage in those unfortunate circumstances.

Kind regards

Jean-Luc Van der Schueren

In Memoriam Rüdiger Kaiser

July 5, 1940 – December 8, 2018 

Rüdiger Kaiser was born on July 5, 1940 in Berlin as the oldest of five children. His father, Friedrich Kaiser (1907-1979) served as a Wehrmacht officer in the High Command of the Army. After the blitzkrieg against France in May and June of 1940 and the occupation of the Benelux countries and Norway, the German Reich was at the height of its military power in mid-1940. When young Rüdiger was born, nobody knew what catastrophe was about to befall millions of people in Europe. At the end of the war, Friedrich Kaiser was taken prisoner by the British and was ordered by the English military government to work in one of the bomb disposal squads. His daughter Ute, born in 1941, remembers how the family, who lived in the small village of Lopesettel, which has since been turned into the military training area Munster-Lager (Lüneburg Heath), did not only fear for her father on a daily basis, but also her brothers who went out and played with the dangerous war equipment. Perhaps that is the reason why Rüdiger Kaiser later decided to make use of his constitutional right to refuse to perform military service.

After their father had worked at the marine weather service in Hamburg in 1952 and 1953, he found a new job as a teacher in Babenhausen (Hesse) in 1954, where the family then moved. 

Rüdiger Kaiser completed his Abitur in Groß-Umstadt and then went off to study classical philology in Frankfurt am Main with the goal of becoming a Greek and Latin teacher. It was first and foremost the professor of ancient history Konrad Kraft (1920-1970) who got the young student excited about ancient history. 

It was a lucky coincidence that the numismatists Peter N. Schulten and Dieter Raab, who had taken over the renowned Frankfurt-based coin dealership Dr. Busso Peus in 1967, were looking for a new employee with expert knowledge of ancient history to help out with reorganizing their library. Rüdiger Kaiser worked in that position at Dr. Peus Nachfolger until 1972. 

The idea of opening his own coin dealership in Frankfurt would not have been possible without the generous help of his loving aunt Tata. Dr. Hildegard Bernhardt from Berlin (1913-1985), a sister of Rüdiger Kaiser’s mother Lieselotte Kaiser who passed away at 53-years-old already (1912-1965), offered him a guarantee of more than 100,000 DM. Armed with crisp funds, the coin dealership Kaiser in Frankfurt could open its doors, first at Habsburger Allee, later at Wolfsgangstraße, and finally at Mittelweg, where Gudrun and Rüdiger Kaiser acquired a house which was both the residence and office of the family and their son Andreas.

Rüdiger Kaiser was a straightforward and thoroughly decent businessman, an honest partner with his customers’ interests in mind. This attitude, which embodied Prussian virtues in the best possible way, is what made him so successful so quickly. Many customers placed their trust in him, including the former East Prussian landowner Alexander Fürst zu Dohna-Schlobitten, who moved to Basel after the war to start a new dry cleaning business. 

The Kaiser family suffered a few blows of fate. An outsider cannot imagine the severe personal ramifications of the two robberies that occurred in the late 1980s and in June of 1993. Rüdiger Kaiser was a born fighter, however, and continued to firmly hold his ground.

A well-trained German shepherd dog was added to the family as a security measure. The animal was a lifelong commitment and accompanied him wherever he went. The dog became a loyal companion and Rüdiger Kaiser wholeheartedly accepted the responsibility. Rüdiger Kaiser was sociable man; he enjoyed attending auctions and conferences, both of the Verband der Deutschen Münzenhändler as well as the IAPN (International Association of Professional Numismatists). There was just one condition: in order to not have to leave his dog alone, Rüdiger Kaiser only travelled to places that could be reached by car. 

He managed his business for 45 years. It was not easy for him when he had to retire due to health issues. 

Along with his own coin dealing business, Rüdiger Kaiser also did a lot of volunteer work he deserves acknowledgement and respect for. From 1977 on, he worked as the treasurer of the Verband der Deutschen Münzenhändler e.V. for many years, from 1984 until 1995, he was editor-in-chief of Geldgeschichtliche Nachrichten, and he was also a longstanding sworn expert for coins at the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Frankfurt. 

The German numismatic community has lost one of its outstanding characters. Whatever Rüdiger Kaiser said carried weight; he was not one to indulge in small talk. His unobtrusive manner and his personal modesty characterized him as an old-school coin dealer. Reliable, honest, knowledgeable – and in no way narcissistic. That is how we will remember him. 

Fritz Rudolf Künker

Curriculum vitea J. B. Westerhof

(07.07.1950 – 08.03.2018)

Geboren 1950 in Friesland uit een middenstanders milieu, zoon van een garagehouder.

Het verzamelen werd hem door zijn vader vroeg aangeleerd. 

Alles wat men in de jeugd verzamelde, postzegels, sigarenbandjes, lucifersmerken en natuurlijk munten. Was op zeer jeugdige leeftijd al op antiekveilingen te vinden.

Zette op 14 jarige leeftijd een postzegelabonnementenservice op. 

Eén van zijn eerste muntveilingen die hij bezocht was die bij de Fa. J.C.A van Loon in 1967. Daar kocht hij in de aftersale een kwartje van 1817 voor Fl. 350,= (recent resultaat € 70.000,=) omdat hij dat eigenlijk niet duur vond, tenslotte kostten een drie Gulden Willem I destijds ook Fl. 300,= .

Nadat hij de middelbare school verliet handelde hij in woningtextiel o.a. Perzische tapijten.

Toen zijn militaire dienstplicht er op zat besloot hij zich in 1972 zelfstandig te vestigen onder de naam “De Sneeker Vlieger”. Was regelmatig op alle beurzen en veilingen te vinden en was bijna wekelijks in Amsterdam te vinden waar hij erg bevriend raakte met Jaap Schulman.

Deze stelde hem ook voor als lid voor het A.I.N.P. zijn specialiteiten waren Provinciale munten met die van Friesland in het bijzonder en wist van deze provincie de grootste  collectie aller tijden bijeen te brengen. Die ging grotendeels over (> 700 ex) naar het Fries Museum te Leeuwarden.

Zijn penningvoorraad bedroeg ruim tienduizenden stuks, op land en thema geordend.

 1^e prijslijst 1981

1^e veiling in samenwerking met wijlen oud-collega Arie van der Dussen in Maastricht 1984-1986, vervolgens veiling voor eigen rekening sinds 1987.

Lid van het A.I.N.P sinds 1985.

Was mede auteur met D. Purmer van “het Handboek Nederlandse Muntslag 1568-1795.

Initiatiefnemer en mederedactielid van de oeuvrecatalogus “Johannes Cornelis Wienecke 1872-1945, medailleur en stempelsnijder 2017.

Vele ambtstermijnen voorzitter van de N.V.M.H en oprichter van de numismatische kring Mr. Jacob Dirks.

Geruime tijd lid van het Belgisch Genootschap namens de N.V.M.H. afgevaardigde voor de FENAP.

 Jean Luc,

Je moet zelf maar een slotzin verzinnen, want ik leef nog, maar ben wel ernstig ziek (geweest?).

Hartelijk gegroet, 

Preliminary note: 

After Jille’s own will, this will be used as his obituary. As unusual as it might seem, he wrote it himself and sent it to me in September 2017. 

Born 1950 (actually July 7th, 1950 in Woudsend) from a middle-class family, son of a garage owner. The passion for collecting was transmitted soon from his father.

Everything which youngsters collect, stamps, cigar bands, boxes of matches and of course coins. Attended antiquities auctions at a very early age. Created a service of new stamps supply when he was 14. 

One of his First coin auctions he attended was the one of the firm J.C.A van Loon in 1967. There he bought after the sale a quarter gulden piece of 1817 for 350,= NLG (recent result € 70.000,=) because he thought it was cheap; at the same time the price for a piece of 3 Gulden Willem I was also 300,= NLG. 

After he left the middle-class school, he was active in the handling of textile, Persian carpets among others.

After his military service, in 1972, he decided to open his own business under the name “De Sneeker Vlieger” [“the pilot from Sneek”]. He attended regularly coin fairs and auctions, and went almost every week to Amsterdam, where he became a friend of Jaap Schulman.

This one sponsored him for membership to the IAPN. His speciality was the coinage of Dutch provinces, and especially of Friesland. He put together the biggest collection of those ever. Those went mostly (over 700 coins) to the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden.

His offering of medals amounted to about 10,000, classified by country and theme. 

First fixed price list 1981

First auction in co-operation with his old friend and colleague Arie van der Dussen in Maastricht 1984-1986, then auctions for his own name since 1987.

Member of the I.A.P.N. since 1985.

Co-auteur with D. Purmer of the “het Handboek Nederlandse Muntslag 1568-1795” [pocket-book of the coinage of the Netherlands].

Took the initiative and co-redactor of the catalogue  “Johannes Cornelis Wienecke 1872-1945, medailleur en stempelsnijder 2017”.

Many terms as president of the N.V.M.H [Dutch association of coin dealers] and founder of the numismatic club “Mr. Jacob Dirks”.

Member of the Belgian Association [Belgian Society for Numismatics] and representative of the  N.V.M.H. to the FENAP [European federation of national coin trade associations].

Jean Luc,

You have to find yourself a final word, as I am still alive, even if I am (I was?)seriously ill.

Best regards. 

What should I add? Exceptional man, as everybody who had meet him could realize, horse-lover, passionate about art in general, numismatics in particular, gifted artist himself, dandy, very eccentric chap, too-much smoker and drinker, always interesting to listen to: a “rare vogel” [rare bird]as they say in Dutch. Even his obituaries and this note speak better than everything else. We will remember him!

J.B. Westerhof, with the co-operation of J.L. Van der Schueren.